Feature:

Press Release: The Infatuation To Acquire Zagat Brand

New York, NY – March 5, 2018: The Infatuation, the popular restaurant discovery platform, announced today that it has entered into an agreement to buy Zagat, the restaurant review brand, from Google. Adding the iconic dining resource brand to The Infatuation’s powerful website, mobile app, messaging and social ecosystems will help continue the company’s mission to create the largest, most influential, and most useful restaurant discovery platform in the world.

“We’re thrilled by this opportunity to acquire such a pioneering and trusted restaurant guide as Zagat,” said Chris Stang, The Infatuation’s Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer. “Iconic brands don’t become available very often, and Zagat is about as iconic as it gets. It is the perfect complement to what we have been building at The Infatuation.”

“Zagat has helped us provide useful and relevant dining results for users across our various products,” said Jen Fitzpatrick, VP of Product and Engineering, Google. “The Infatuation is an innovative company that will be a terrific home for the Zagat brand.”

“Tim and I are very excited for Zagat’s next chapter with The Infatuation,” said Nina Zagat. “Their innovative approach, and their passion for helping people discover great restaurants and for building community lines up exactly with what we built with Zagat from the very beginning.”

The Infatuation and Zagat will operate as two distinct brands, with individual platforms, and distinct purposes and points of view. Specifically, The Infatuation will retain its editorial-first focus, producing high quality, situational reviews and guides, while continuing its groundbreaking work in mobile and social media. Working within The Infatuation’s infrastructure and leadership, Zagat will expand user surveys and develop a new tech-driven platform that will create a stronger, more meaningful alternative to other crowdsourced restaurant reviews.

The two brands will work in tandem to provide users quality and diverse options for restaurant recommendations. The Infatuation will introduce Zagat to its highly engaged, millennial audience and will leverage the social capital which they have earned since their launch nine years ago to help grow the Zagat brand. In addition, Zagat’s product offerings will be expanded internationally, to connect with communities abroad.

Zagat was founded in 1979 by Tim and Nina Zagat as a revolutionary guide that brought user-generated content to the mainstream. Through the 1980s and 1990s, the iconic brand became a leader in the modern hospitality industry and was a driving force that helped pique cultural interest in food, at one point covering over 90 cities worldwide, through reviews based on the experiences of millions of avid consumers.

The Infatuation launched in 2009, and like Zagat, its founders Chris Stang and Andrew Steinthal created the platform to help their friends find the best restaurants to suit their needs. With a focus on relatable, situational content, The Infatuation reaches over 3,000,000 people per month, worldwide. The company covers major cities in both the U.S. and abroad, including New York, Los Angeles, London, Chicago, San Francisco, Austin, and Seattle.